A Gift from Darkness to Light
by Shadow's Mirror
Summary: Yami decides to give his light a gift, but it ends up becoming a contest between him and Bakura. With Kaiba judging. Who will win and will the lights like their gifts? (complete - sequel to 'The Talent Show')
1. The Idea

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: *Text* indicates a character's thoughts.

****

A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 1: The Idea  
By Shadow's Mirror

Yugi Moto put the last full stop in place and breathed a sigh of relief as he put his pen down. He stretched, groaning softly as his cramped muscles protested at the movement. 

"Yugi? Are you all right?" 

The young boy smiled at the concern in the warm velvet voice. He turned in his chair and looked over at the window-seat, where a figure that looked like a slightly older version of himself was perched. "I'm fine Yami. Just a little stiff from sitting in the one position for so long, that's all."

The spirit nodded, then tilted his head as he regarded his light curiously. "Your homework took you some time tonight," he noted. There was faint disappointment in his eyes and voice. Usually Yugi finished his homework early enough for them to have a duel or two before bedtime, but it was already past midnight. There would be no dueling tonight. 

"Not really. I finished that at the usual time. I've been working on my English assignment. It's not due until next week, but I thought I'd better get it done while I have the chance."

Yami nodded, understanding immediately. He and Yugi were participating in a charity dueling tournament the following weekend, so it was doubtful that they'd have much free time during the week. Not only did they have to go through their deck and work on some new strategies and plays, but there were a few promotional events that Yugi had promised to attend as well. "Is it finished now?"

Yugi grinned. "Uh huh. Good thing too. There's no way I could have done it and concentrated on dueling too." He glanced at the assignment and shivered melodramatically. 

Yami laughed softly. "Difficult?" His light smiled sweetly in response to the sympathy in his voice.

"Not really, I just don't like poetry assignments very much." 

"Poetry?" Yami looked at his light with more than his usual interest. "You had to write a poem?" 

Yugi grinned and shook his head. "I wish! At least that would have been fun. No, we just had to pick a poem and then write a report on what we thought it was about." 

Yami winced. "Sounds… boring." 

"It was. I'm glad it's finished." Yugi yawned and stretched again, then smiled apologetically at his yami. "I'm sorry it took me so long though. I know how much you look forward to our dueling." 

As always, Yami was both touched and surprised by how well his light knew him. He smiled back. "It was better for you to finish your assignment and have next week free to duel, than the other way around." His smile became a chuckle as Yugi yawned again. "Now, I believe, it would be better for you to get some sleep rather than talk to me all night. Although I enjoy our conversations almost as much as I do our duels," he added with a teasing gleam in his dark eyes. Yugi laughed.

As his light got ready for bed, Yami idly got up from the window-seat and crossed to the desk. Yugi had left his poetry assignment out and Yami smiled to himself as he read it. He recognised Yugi's way of thinking in every word and sentence. But there was something strange at the bottom of the page that caught Yami's attention.

"Yugi, why is the number two written on the page? This does not look like the second page of the assignment."

"What?" Yugi was frowning slightly as he padded back to the desk, doing up his pajama top buttons along the way. "What do you mean?" He looked at the assignment page and suddenly went pale. "Oh no!" he groaned. 

Yami was alarmed by his light's reaction. Through their mind-link, Yami could feel Yugi's sudden alarm. It shifted into an acceptance of the inevitable as Yugi shuffled through the pages on his desk and found his assignment paper. "You haven't finished the assignment after all?" 

"No… there's another part to it. I completely forgot about it, even though I put the 2 there to remind me!" Yugi looked up at Yami and suddenly smiled. "It's a good thing you noticed it, otherwise I would have handed in an incomplete assignment! Miss Sayouki hates it when students do that." 

Yami shuddered, remembering what had happened once when Malik had done just that. "Yes… for such a small woman, she certainly has a very loud voice." So loud that she had startled Ryou to the point where Bakura had thought the boy was under attack and had taken over his body to protect him. Bakura had not been impressed about the whole situation and it had taken Yami a long time to talk him out of sending the young English teacher to the Shadow Realm. 

As Yugi sat down at the desk again, Yami looked sympathetically at his exhausted light. "Perhaps you could leave it until tomorrow? You need to sleep." 

Yugi smiled at his friend. "Don't worry, Yami. This will only take a minute. All I have to do is write a Haiku and they're the simplest kind of poem to write!" 

Yami was curious. "A Haiku? What is that?" 

The boy's pen raced across the paper for a moment as Yugi wrote three short lines. He grinned as he put his pen down again. "See for yourself! This time, I've really finished my assignment!" 

Yami leaned forward to peer over Yugi's shoulder. 

__

Incomplete puzzle.  
The final piece falls in place.  
Joy overwhelms me.

Yami's eyes lit up with delight as he realised what it was about. He looked down at his light and they shared a smile as they both remembered how the Millennium Puzzle had come to be completed, and how it's completion had freed Yami from millennia of imprisonment within the puzzle's broken pieces. 

"So, that is a Haiku?" Yami studied it for a moment, fascination, confusion and curiosity warring in his eyes. 

Yugi watched his darker half fondly for several moments before he grinned and began to explain. "A Haiku is a special form of poetry. Traditional Japanese Haikus are made of seventeen syllables divided into three lines of five, seven and five syllables. Some people don't worry about the syllables, but I've always thought that the poems sound better that way."

Yami nodded. "I definitely like this one." He smiled at his light, who chuckled in response before another yawn caught him by surprise. "If you are finished now…"

"I know, I should get to bed." Yugi grinned and stood up. As he reached to turn off his desk lamp, he paused and looked down at the page on the desk. "I don't like analysing poetry much, but I do like reading and writing it. I wonder if Miss Sayouki would give me extra class credit if I wrote a few more Haiku's for my assignment?" 

Yami chuckled. "Ask her tomorrow. If she says yes, I'm sure you'll be able to find at least a few minutes during the week to come up with some. They don't seem to take all that long. But right now…" He trailed off, eyeing his light with a wry grin.

Yugi smiled and nodded. "Right. Bedtime. I'll ask her tomorrow." Turning out the light, he padded over to his bed and scrambled under the covers. "Maybe I could write a longer poem. One in Haiku verse. That's where each verse is a Haiku all by itself. I really like those. They're a lot of… fun to… write…" He yawned again. "Goodnight, my darkness."

The moonlight coming through the window gave off just enough light for Yami to see the small figure curled up in bed. He smiled. "Goodnight, my light." He had barely finished speaking before he felt the young boy slip into sleep.

* * *

Yami generally preferred to be in his soulroom at night. That night though, he felt oddly restless. He'd been feeling that way for the past few days, but this was the first time the feeling had persisted past dusk. He frowned slightly as he stared out the window at the moonlit world beyond. For once, the beauty of the shadowy night barely registered with him. His restlessness was starting to make him feel rather uneasy. It was almost as if he was waiting for something to happen… Yami shook off the thought, silently lecturing himself. Seto Kaiba and Bakura were bad enough; the last thing their group needed was more paranoia!

He blamed it on his last few visits to the Shadow Realm. He and Yugi had both sensed an odd tenseness in the air and it was definitely not their imaginations. The Shadow Monsters were feeling it too, judging by their edginess and quick tempers. Several of the weaker, more animalistic monsters had even tried to attack them! 

The cool feel of metal beneath his hand brought Yami out of his reverie. With surprise, he realised that he had instinctively reached for the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck. He studied it for a moment, wondering if it was glowing a little more brightly than usual. He lightly traced over the designs etched in the gold and his thoughts turned to the Haiku that Yugi had written about it. 

Yami smiled and leaned back against the wall. His uneasiness faded as he remembered the words of the poem, and what Yugi had said about it. His light really seemed to like that sort of poetry. If he'd known that before Christmas, it would have been a good present for him. Perhaps his birthday… 

*No, why should I wait? Yugi and Ryou gave Bakura and I a lovely gift when they sang for us in the school Talent Show last month, so why should I not write my light a poem for no reason other than my wanting to?* Yami smiled at the thought. A moment later the window-seat was empty and Yami had returned to his soulroom to work on his gift for Yugi.

To be continued…


	2. The Challenge

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: *Text* indicates a character's thoughts.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: The Millennium Ring has the power to put a little piece of Bakura's soul into an item. When he uses that power on the Millennium Puzzle, Bakura ends up inside Yami's soulroom. That's my understanding of it anyway, from what I know of what happened after Marik defeated Bakura during Battle City.

****

A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 2: The Challenge  
By Shadow's Mirror

"Hello, Yugi!" Ryou smiled at his friend as he slipped into the seat next to him at the lunch table. 

"Oh, hi Ryou!" Yugi grinned back at him, but Ryou noticed that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Something was bothering him.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Ryou asked, concerned. Yugi had a naturally cheerful disposition, so anything that worried him was usually well worth worrying about. If there was some sort of trouble or problem, Ryou wanted to know about it.

Yugi blushed slightly and shook his head, seeing how worried he'd made Ryou. "No, it's nothing… at least…" He paused, suddenly uncertain. "At least, I don't think it is." He eyed Ryou thoughtfully. "I don't suppose… Has Bakura been acting… I don't know… odd at all?" 

Ryou chuckled softly. "Define odd. He's always doing things that don't make the slightest sense to me!" An offended 'Hey!' came from Bakura's soulroom. *Well it serves you right for listening in!* Ryou mentally teased his yami. 

*Yugi was asking about me. Of course I listened in. He's talking to you, by the way.* Ryou could hear the smug grin in Bakura's voice as he returned his attention to Yugi. "Um… I'm sorry Yugi, would you mind repeating that." Ryou grinned sheepishly at Yugi's knowing smile. One good thing about talking to Yugi and their other friends, they were always willing to repeat themselves since they knew how often yamis interrupted to speak to their lights. 

"I said that Yami's been spending all his time in his soulroom for the past couple of days. He didn't even come out for our nightly duel last night! That's not like him at all. I'm… probably worrying over nothing but…" Yugi stared down at his lunch and sighed heavily. Ryou gently patted his friend's shoulder.

"You're right, that doesn't sound like Yami. I suppose you've asked him what's wrong?" 

Yugi nodded, not looking up. "He said that everything was fine, he was just busy with something. But… he couldn't look me in the eye as he said it." The small boy lifted his head, his wide amethyst eyes filled with anxiety and pain as he met Ryou's troubled gaze. "Ryou, I… I think he might have been…" Yugi shook his head quickly, trying to deny what his heart and mind were telling me. "No! There's no way that he'd… lie to me…" He shivered at the thought. 

Ryou rested his hand on Yugi's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Surely he can feel how worried you are through your… Oh dear…" Yugi's eyes told Ryou the rest of the story without Yugi having to say another word. "He's closed the link?" 

Yugi nodded and looked down at his lunch again. He listlessly poked at the brown stuff on the plate. "Yesterday afternoon. Remember when Joey and Tristan started teasing Kaiba about his A- in History? Well, he said that there was too much noise for him to concentrate and closed the link. He's done that before, although he really sounded irritated this time. But… he didn't open it again. It's been closed ever since and I can't get anything out of him. Every time I try… I get this funny warm feeling in my mind. It's kinda hard to explain." Yugi frowned unhappily. He distractedly speared a piece of brown stuff on his fork and started eating it. 

Ryou thought for a moment. "Is it something like the feeling you get when you snuggle under a warm blanket on a cold night… and your yami comes out of his soulroom and makes himself touchable just so he can cuddle up beside you in the warmth and take you in his arms and…" 

Yugi choked and started coughing. Ryou blinked and came out of his daze with a soft gasp. He patted Yugi on the back and tried to ignore the heat that he could feel rushing into his face, and the howls of laughter that he could hear echoing inside his mind. "Um… I mean… Oh dear…"

When Yugi could finally talk, he gave Ryou an amused look. "That was more than I needed to know, but…" A faint wash of colour coloured his cheeks as he looked away. "Yes. It's exactly like that," he admitted softly before glancing shyly at Ryou again. The two lights traded grins. 

Ryou shook his head and tried to concentrate again. "Well… in that case, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Yugi. Whenever I get that feeling, it usually means that Bakura is in an especially happy mood." He grinned wryly. "Of course, the sort of things that put Bakura in such a mood are usually things that I definitely need to worry about. But that's just Bakura."

Yugi managed a small smile, but he still looked worried. *Bakura, would you mind…* Ryou didn't have to finish his thought. His yami knew what he wanted.

*Sure Ryou. I never say no to an excuse to poke around in Yami's mental labyrinth.* Ryou smiled at his yami's cheerful reply. 

"Yugi, Bakura say's that he'd be happy to check on Yami, if you want him to." The moment the words were out of Ryou's mouth, he knew the answer. Yugi's head snapped up and his eyes fairly shone with sudden hope. 

"Oh! Would he? That would be great!" Yugi sighed softly. "He won't let me in his soulroom, but I have a feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep Bakura out so easily." 

Ryou chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "Yes, getting inside places where he isn't supposed to be is something of a specialty of his."

A determined look settled on Yugi's face. "I'm ready whenever Bakura is." He stabbed his fork into another piece of brown stuff and only then seemed to notice what he was doing. "Um… what is this stuff anyway?"

Ryou wrinkled his nose as he looked at his own plate. "If you squint, it vaguely resembles fruitcake, so I think it's supposed to be meatloaf."

* * *

"Your light is worried sick about you." 

Yami sighed as the husky voice echoed through his soulroom. He turned and irritably eyed the figure leaning casually against the doorframe. "Don't you ever knock?"

Bakura smirked. "Not usually, no." He sauntered into the room and over to the table where Yami was working. 

"Our lights sent me to find out what's wrong with you. Yugi's fighting a losing battle against believing that you've been lying to him and Ryou is worried that something serious is happening. They both think that you don't want to worry anyone, so you're trying to keep whatever's wrong to yourself until you…" Bakura trailed off as he got a good look at what Yami was doing. 

"What in the Shadows is that?" He stared at the piece of paper in confusion. 

Yami frowned at him, annoyed. He folded his arms and leaned against the desk. "What does it look like, Bakura?"

Bakura blinked at the piece of paper and studied it for a long moment before he eyed Yami thoughtfully. "It looks like you're writing poetry. Very bad poetry," he elaborated with a smirk. 

Yami glared at him. "How would you know? You've probably never even seen a poem before!" 

Bakura mirrored Yami's stance, knowing how much it infuriated the Pharaoh. "I certainly have!" He didn't feel the need to add that it had been the three-line thing Ryou had written for his English assignment the night before. "Anyway, it doesn't take an expert to know that…" he flicked his hand at the page on the desk, "is hopeless." His smirk widened at the frustrated look that flashed through Yami's eyes. 

Bakura couldn't resist. "Even Kaiba could write something better than that!" The moment he said it, he knew he'd made a mistake. Yami's eyes lit up as he grinned. 

"Oh, he could, could he? So I suppose you could do better, also?" He straightened, his gaze locked relentlessly on Bakura's face. 

"Of course I could!" Bakura really had no choice but to bluff his way out of the corner he found himself in. But Yami was an expert in games and Bakura had a sneaking suspicion that he could recognise a bluff when he saw one. That left him with only one option. "I'll even prove it!" 

Yami studied Bakura for a moment, thinking. Making up his mind, he suddenly relaxed and nodded to the other spirit. "Very well. Yugi mentioned that he likes poetry, so I am writing him a poem as a gift. Why don't you write one for Ryou as well? We could make it a game. When we are finished, our lights can decide which one is best."

Bakura was about to try to get out of it when he realised something. "A gift? You mean… like our lights gave us during that Talent thing?" When Yami nodded, he thought about it. He'd never admit it, but the thought of surprising his light with a gift was surprisingly tempting. Beating Yami in a game along the way was just an extra incentive.

"All right. You're on! But our lights can't be the judges. They'll each pick their yami's poem as their favourite, no matter how bad it is. We need someone impartial." 

Yami nodded thoughtfully, forced to concede that Bakura had a valid point. "Perhaps… Téa?"

Bakura pulled a face. "Are you insane? There's no way she could ever choose a winner! She'd probably insist that both poems were equally as good, or some rubbish like that."

Yami frowned. "You suggest someone, then." He was annoyed because he knew that Bakura was right. Téa most likely would insist on a tie so that neither of them would feel badly. 

After a moment's thought, Bakura started to grin and Yami suspected that he was not going to like what Bakura was going to say. 

"How about Kaiba?" 

Yami shuddered at the thought, but then he paused and reconsidered. Seto Kaiba actually wasn't a bad choice. He'd be impartial, that was for certain. He disliked both of them, after all. "Very well. Kaiba it is! I'll have Yugi ask him once he's read my poem."

Bakura nodded. "All right. So when did you want to do this? I take it you want us to keep it a secret from our lights, so it will have to be soon. Our lights are already worried about what's going on."

Yami nodded. "We have Kaiba's charity tournament on this weekend. He should be in a fairly good mood once that's over. If we do it early next week, say… Tuesday after school, he should still be in a good enough mood to oblige us without too much comment."

Bakura chuckled. "Yeah. Sounds good. We'll each write a poem for our light and Kaiba will judge the best one next Tuesday." He eyed Yami thoughtfully. "What's at stake?" 

"Isn't our pride enough?" Yami grinned as Bakura laughed. "How about…" He thought for a moment. His eyes gleamed as he got an idea. "I know! The loser has to pin his poem up on the school's bulletin board, so the whole school can read it!" 

Bakura whistled. "Pharaoh, I hate to say it, but that's not half bad. All right, it's a bet!" 

Yami grinned. "Good. Don't forget to close the door on your way out." Bakura laughed but headed for the door anyway. 

"I'm out of here. Oh…" He paused at the doorway and looked back. "Did you want me to tell Yugi anything special?" 

"Hmm…" Yami eased open the connection between his and his light's minds and winced at the barrage of worry, fear, sadness and doubt that immediately assaulted him. "I think perhaps we had best try to do this without being… quite so secretive. I had no idea that Yugi would be so concerned. I did not mean to worry him." 

Bakura shrugged. "He's a light. Lights worry and fuss. That's normal for them." He started to leave. "I'll tell Yugi that you're fine. Then I'll pick a fight with Ryou." 

Yami blinked. "Why?" 

"Because if he's mad at me, and if he thinks I'm mad at him, he won't be suspicious when I spend all my time in my soulroom with our link closed." Bakura left Yami's soulroom, the Pharaoh's laughter ringing in his ears. 

When he reached his own soulroom, after reassuring Yugi and Ryou that Yami was fine, Bakura threw himself down on his bed to think. He'd never written a poem before. 

"Bah. How hard could it be?" 

To be continued…


	3. Yami's Gift

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: *Text* indicates thoughts or a mental conversation between a light and a yami.

****

A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 3: Yami's Gift  
By Shadow's Mirror

Kaiba was almost smiling as he entered the room where all of the duelists who had volunteered their time for his charity dueling tournament were waiting for the results. "It's official. We raised over fifty-seven thousand dollars for the orphanage." 

Joey whistled. "Man! I knew there was a good turn-out but that's outstanding!" 

Yugi smiled. "That's wonderful news, Kaiba! The target was thirty thousand, wasn't it?" 

Kaiba nodded. "Yes. The orphanage will be able to keep from closing long enough for my permanent solution to their problems to come into effect. In fact, with the additional money raised, there's a good chance that the orphanage might even be able to extend."

"So they could take in more kids? That's good to hear." Mai smiled slightly, then blinked as Joey peered at her. "What? Has my makeup smeared or something?" 

"Nah. I just didn't know you were so sentimental, that's all." Joey grinned at her. 

"Hey! They're kids! Who wouldn't be sentimental?" Mai responded. "Just don't spread it around."

* * *

As the others started celebrating the tournament's success, Ryou tapped Yugi on the shoulder. "Yugi, Bakura would like a word with Yami, if you wouldn't mind." 

"Oh? Sure Ryou. I'll get him out." There was a flash of light from Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. At the same time, a second flash of light came from the Millennium Ring hanging around Ryou's neck. 

Yami eyed Bakura curiously. "You wanted to speak with me?" 

Bakura jerked his head towards Kaiba. "I'd say he seems pretty happy, wouldn't you?"

Understanding flashed into Yami's eyes and he smiled slightly as he nodded. "Yes. I would. I will ask him now. Is Tuesday afternoon still fine for you and Ryou?" 

"Yeah. You and Kaiba sort out the details and let me know." Yami nodded and started to walk off to speak to Kaiba, but Bakura suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "Hang on a minute. Before you talk to him, there's something else. I've been thinking about our bet…"

Yami smiled slightly. "You're not thinking of pulling out, are you? What is the problem, Bakura? Are you afraid of losing?" 

Bakura glared at him. "No! It's just that…" His annoyance faded and he sighed. "I think we should reconsider the penalty for the loser."

"So… you are afraid!" Yami's eyes gleamed as he grinned. His smile faded as Bakura didn't rise to the bait, as he normally would have. Apparently this meant a lot to him. "Why?" 

"I finished my poem for Ryou and as I was reading through it…" Bakura struggled to find the right words. "If I lost the contest, I don't think Ryou would be happy about having it posted on the bulletin board. In fact, I think he'd be pretty upset about it. It's not really something that everyone should read. It's… personal. I don't even really want Kaiba reading it!" Bakura looked away, unhappy at having to make such an admission to Yami. 

There was a moment of silence as Yami thought about it. He slowly nodded. "You have a point, Bakura. I believe Yugi would be most embarrassed if anyone outside our circle of close friends were to read his gift. Also… no one else would really understand it." 

Bakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Same here. So… should we forget the wager or just change it? Ryou wouldn't mind if there was one, as long as it was something… less embarrassing."

Yami nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps something a little more in keeping with the nature of the contest? After all, the poems are gifts for our lights so the wager should reflect that." 

"Yeah." Bakura nodded. "I was thinking maybe the loser could arrange a trip to the Shadow Realm for all four of us, but the way the Shadow Realm's been lately…" He shuddered and Yami nodded.

"True. That could turn out to be more dangerous than fun. The Shadow Monsters are still acting very strangely." Yami frowned as he thought about the trouble in the Shadow Realm. 

For several months, the Shadow Monsters had been acting more aggressively and the tension in the dark realm was now so thick it was almost visible in some areas. Yami had tried asking the Dark Magician about it, but for once he had received nothing except vague reassurances that it happened every now and then and would sort itself out in time. He hoped that was true. For the time being though, all of them were being very careful when they visited the Shadow Realm, and they went there only if absolutely necessary.

"A picnic!" Bakura's sudden comment broke into Yami's line of thought and he blinked. 

"What was that?" 

"A picnic. Instead of a trip to the Shadow Realm, how about we make it that the loser has to arrange a picnic for the four of us? If we go somewhere really private then you and I could be in physical form and we'd get to spend the afternoon with our lights. They'd like that." 

Yami smiled. "As would we. It would be a penalty, but one which we would all enjoy. Yes. Bakura, for once I believe you may have come up with an idea that I actually like." 

Bakura smirked. "Well it had to happen sooner or later. Why are you still here?"

"Hmm?" 

"Now we know what we're doing, why aren't you off talking to Kaiba already!" Bakura scowled at Yami, who laughed and went off to do just that.

* * *

"Bakura?" Yami wasn't sure if Bakura had switched with Ryou or not while he'd been talking to Kaiba. It had turned out to be quite a long conversation.

"Yeah. It's me. Did he agree?" Bakura tried to look like he wasn't as eager as he really was.

"I had to talk him into it, but yes, he will read our poems and pick the best one on Tuesday afternoon." Yami held up his hand before Bakura could comment. "There's more. Kaiba suggested that we meet at the library in town. Is five o'clock suitable for you and Ryou?" 

Bakura thought for a moment, trying to remember if Ryou had anything on that would conflict. "Yeah, that should be right. I'll make sure Ryou doesn't arrange anything else for then." 

Yami nodded. "As will I, with Yugi. That just leaves one thing…"

Bakura went still as his eyes locked with Yami's. "We have to give our lights their gifts. When? Mine's all done," he added.

"As is mine. Tonight perhaps?" He looked around at the party and frowned slightly. "Although we could be here for some time yet…"

Bakura chuckled. "Yeah. Let's leave it for tonight. I don't know about Yugi, but by the time we get home Ryou will probably be nearly asleep. It's been a long day. How about tomorrow night?"

Yami nodded. "Agreed. Tomorrow night we will present our gifts to our lights." He looked slightly nervous. "I only hope they like them."

"They will. They're lights. They love sappy stuff like this." Bakura smirked, but beneath his confidence he was quaking in his, or rather Ryou's since he was currently in his body, sneakers. 

The two yamis shared a knowing look before they returned control of their forms back over to their lights. Yugi and Ryou looked at each other in confusion.

"They were out here for quite a while. I couldn't hear anything though. Could you?" Yugi looked rather worried. He knew Yami was keeping something from him and he was afraid it was something bad. 

"No, nothing. I'm sure they would tell us if there was something wrong, though." Ryou tried to reassure his friend, although he was starting to be concerned about Bakura too. He'd been spending a lot of time in his soulroom lately, with his side of their mind-like completely closed. He'd also been unusually argumentative. As though he was trying to find reasons for storming off to his soulroom and locking himself in with the mind-link closed. So far, he'd done that five times. Ryou had been suspicious about it since the third. 

"Oh well. I guess we'll just have to trust them. I hope we find out what it's all about soon though. Come on Ryou, let's go join the party." 

* * *

Monday seemed to stretch forever for two impatiently waiting yamis, but eventually school was over and their lights were settled in their rooms doing their homework. Yami and Bakura had spoken to each other briefly at lunch time and had agreed to present their poems at the same time, eight o'clock, so neither light would be able to call and warn the other what was going on. They wanted it to be a complete surprise. 

As the hour drew nearer, Yami found it hard to settle. Knowing that Yugi would pick up on his tension, he locked himself in his soulroom and refused to come out, claiming that he was working on some special new combos to use against Yugi in their next duel. Much to his surprise, Yugi accepted that excuse with a laugh, obviously believing it. Yami made a mental note to use that in the future if he ever wanted to plan a surprise for his light. It obviously made his light far less worried than all the other excuses he had been using!

Shortly before eight o'clock, Yami unlocked his soulroom door. *Yugi. I… would like to explain my recent behaviour. Can we…* He didn't have to finish. Yugi had been reading on his bed but he immediately put the book aside and sat up, giving his yami his full attention.

*What's going on, Yami? Is something wrong?*

The clock downstairs struck eight. It was time. Yami tried to keep calm as he used the spell the Dark Magician had taught him. When he appeared in front of Yugi, the smaller boy blinked up at him in surprise. "Physical form? This must be serious." 

Yami smiled, or rather tried to. He was so tense that he knew it came out more as a grimace. The look seemed to alarm Yugi, since he started to get up. "No, Yugi. It's all right. I'm just… nervous. That's all." Surprised, Yugi nodded and settled down again. 

"I apologise for spending so little time with you lately, and for shutting you out of my mind and soulroom. I've been… preparing something… a gift… for you…" 

Yugi blinked. "A gift for me? Oh Yami… what is it?" He smiled shyly up at the nervous boy; all of his own tension dissolving. It was such a simple explanation and everything suddenly made sense. He felt very relieved, but he was also very happy. His yami had a gift for him!

Yami slowly drew a piece of paper from his pocket. Since it had been in there when he had been in spirit form, it was now as real as he was. Sitting down on the bed beside Yugi, Yami studied the paper for a long moment. 

"I… know I should read this out to you. I've been practicing it. But… now that the time has come… I find that I am not as brave as you or Ryou. Forgive me Yugi, I cannot read this aloud. I know I will only stumble over the words…" His hand was shaking and his cheeks were hot as he stopped talking and handed the paper to his light. Yugi accepted it curiously. He started to read.

**__**

A Gift for Yugi

From that first moment  
When you unlocked the puzzle  
We two have been one

We have faced danger  
And triumphed in our battles  
Always side by side

Whatever happened  
Throughout all that we have done  
You have been with me

Yet despite all that  
One thing remains out of reach  
There is something more

I have come to see  
You have more courage than I  
You say what you feel

Although I have tried  
To say what is in my heart  
The words escape me

You do not yet know  
How precious you are to me  
Hikari of mine

The room was completely silent as Yugi read his yami's gift. It remained silent for several long moments after, then Yugi carefully placed the paper on his bedside table. By that time, Yami was extremely nervous about his light's lack of reaction. 

"Yugi… please say something. I know it's not traditional Haiku, I looked it up in your English textbook and I didn't make it as descriptive as I should have. All I really did was keep to the correct syllable format…" His light wasn't looking at him. Yami was sure Yugi had hated it. "Yugi, is it… really that bad?" Yami tensed as Yugi started to turn to face him. 

The next thing Yami knew, his light had thrown himself forcefully into his arms and was hugging him as though he would never let him go! Yugi was also shaking, although whether it was with tears, laughter or anger, Yami couldn't tell since the boy's head was buried against his chest. He did the only thing he could think of doing. He hugged Yugi back and rested his cheek on top of the younger boy's hair. "Yugi…" They stayed liked that for some time, until Yugi shifted slightly. 

Yugi made himself more comfortable by turning his head so his cheek was against Yami's chest. Since Yami was in physical form, Yugi could hear his heart beating. He smiled at the comforting sound. "Thank you, Yami. That's the nicest gift I've ever received."

Yami breathed a sigh of relief. "I am very glad that you liked it, Yugi."

"Oh, I more than liked it. I loved it." Yugi seemed about to say something else for a moment, but instead he just smiled and snuggled more closely against his yami. "I take it you got the idea from my homework assignment last week?" 

"Yes. You seemed to like that sort of poetry so I thought it would be a good gift. I am sorry that I worried you so much though. I did not mean to. The poem took longer to write than I expected and since I wanted it to be a surprise…"

"You couldn't tell me what you were doing. Don't worry, Yami, I understand now." Yugi smiled and then blinked as he thought of something. "What about Bakura? He went to see you…"

Yami had been wondering how long it would take for Bakura's name to come up. "Bakura knows about the poem. He saw me writing it. If I hadn't told him what I was doing, I was afraid that he would tell you and my surprise would have been ruined. Our conversation took a rather… unexpected turn though. Somehow… we ended up turning the poems into a… contest." Yami winced, waiting for Yugi's reaction.

Yugi blinked. "A contest? What kind of contest?" He would have pulled away so he could look at his yami, but he was far too comfortable right where he was.

"Bakura and I agreed to each write a poem for our light. The best poem, wins."

"Oh." 

Yami heard the faint note of disappointment in Yugi's voice. "You are displeased." 

"Not really. I just… Oh, don't worry, it's nothing. So… is Téa judging them? When? Or have they already been judged? What's the prize?" Yugi was trying to sound cheerful, but Yami could hear the strain in his voice. He held his light a little more tightly. 

"We felt that Téa would probably insist on a tie, so… Bakura suggested Kaiba." 

Yugi gasped and pulled away with a jolt so he could stare at his yami in shock. "Kaiba? He agreed? Uh… Yami… are you sure that's a good idea? I mean… Kaiba and poetry…" He looked worried.

Yami smiled slightly. "Yes, Kaiba has agreed and no, I am not sure that it is a good idea. But we will see what happens. The judging is tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock, at the town library. As for the prize… it is more of a penalty for the loser and it is a surprise for you and Ryou. I can promise that you and Ryou will like it though. As will Bakura and I, for that matter." 

Yami smiled as Yugi relaxed. He and Bakura had agreed not to tell their lights about the original wager and now Yami was certain that had been a very good idea. As it was, Yugi seemed disappointed that his gift had turned into a competition between the two yamis. 

"Yugi… I am sorry about the contest. When Bakura saw the poem I was writing… I panicked. I did not want him to tell you. I reacted badly and one insult led to another. The idea for the contest seemed like a good one at the time. I knew Bakura would not tell you or Ryou about my plan if he was also a part of it. But… even as I said it, I knew it was wrong. I was about to take back the challenge when I noticed Bakura's reaction. He liked the idea, Yugi. He wanted to give Ryou a gift just as much as I wanted to give you one. But, being Bakura…"

"He hadn't wanted to admit it, or to make the first move. The contest gave him the excuse he needed." Yami nodded in confirmation and Yugi smiled warmly at his darker half. "I get it now. In that case, I think it's a great idea! Although," he chuckled softly, "I still think you're making a mistake by asking Seto Kaiba to judge it…" 

Yami laughed and impulsively reached out, pulling his light to him for another hug. "You're probably right, Yugi. Still, if it is a mistake, at least I'll be able to blame Bakura for it, since it was his idea to begin with!" 

Yugi was too busy snuggling happily against his yami to respond.

To be continued…


	4. Bakura's Gift

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Fair warning - fluffiness ahead! ^_^

****

A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 4: Bakura's Gift  
By Shadow's Mirror

Ryou had sensed his yami's growing impatience throughout the day, so he wasn't really surprised when Bakura took on spirit form as soon as they arrived home from school. He smiled at his yami and turned to close the door, then gasped when a hand gripped his shoulder. Whirling around, Ryou blinked at his suddenly physical yami. Bakura used the Physical Form spell he'd learned fairly often, but he wasn't usually in such a hurry to cast it. "Bakura! Is something wrong?"

Bakura shifted uneasily as he shook his head. He had once been a tombrobber, so patience had been something of a professional necessity for him, but all day the time had been passing far too slowly for his liking. He wanted to give Ryou his gift and he wanted to do it now! But… if he did that then Ryou would almost certainly call Yugi and then Yami would know that he'd broken his word. They had agreed to wait until eight o'clock… but that was still hours away! He needed a distraction. 

"Duel with me. Now!"

Ryou blinked. It had been a while since he'd heard Bakura's 'I'm grumpy so humour me or I'll be impossible to live with' voice… at least a week. "I have homework…" 

"Do it later. Duel me now." Bakura glared at his light, who sighed and nodded. 

"All right. But not for long. I have to get dinner ready soon." 

Ryou started to cross the room but paused in surprise when Bakura sat down at the kitchen table. Usually, he preferred to clear the living room and duel there, where there was enough room for them to have a 'real' duel. Bakura wasn't completely happy unless he could actually see the monsters. Whenever Ryou suggested playing in the kitchen, which he did every time because cards caused less physical damage to a room than real monsters, Bakura usually scoffed at the idea. He did agree sometimes though, if he felt like playing it purely as a card game. But he usually only felt like that if he was distracted, upset or angry about something. So his agreeing always worried Ryou. But the fact that he hadn't even needed to suggest it this time worried Ryou even more!

He sat down opposite his yami without making a fuss. Whatever the problem was, he was sure that Bakura would either sort it out by himself or tell him at some point. He just needed to wait. In the meantime, a duel or two would probably calm Bakura down. He seemed rather unsettled. 

When Ryou won the first duel fairly easily, his concern grew. Bakura was normally a very good opponent and even their friendly duels were always intense. But that win… Ryou tried to convince himself that his yami was just a little distracted. He smiled at Bakura and agreed to another duel.

When Bakura lost the second duel because Ryou played a strategy so simple that even Tristan, who hardly ever played the game, would have seen through it in a moment, Ryou knew something was seriously wrong with his yami. He quickly got up from the table and went around to Bakura's side. 

"Bakura, what is it? Is something wrong? Are you feeling all right?" He lightly placed his hand on his yami's shoulder and peered at him closely, searching for any physical signs that might tell him what the problem was. 

"I'm fine." Bakura scowled up at light, hating the fuss although he knew he'd brought it on himself. He should have been paying more attention to the duels. Instead, he'd kept imagining all the possible ways in which Ryou might react to his gift. Some of them had been more distracting than others. As one of the better ones insisted on popping back into his mind, he abruptly brushed his light's hand off his shoulder, stood up and turned away, refusing to look at Ryou. "Did you say something about getting dinner ready?" 

Ryou sighed softly at the change of topic, but nodded. "Yes. Are you going to eat with me?" Bakura had been doing it more often lately, but it wasn't a certainty. Ryou had found a way to tempt his yami though. "I thought I'd make an omelette. I picked up some more eggs on the way home especially for it."

Bakura turned his head slightly. Ryou still couldn't see his face, but it was obvious that he'd caught his yami's attention. "What kind of omelette?"

Ryou smiled slightly. "What kind would you like? How about one with cheese and fresh herbs?" 

"All right." 

Bakura wasn't so distracted that he didn't know what Ryou was doing, but he went along with it anyway. Cooking would keep his light busy so he wouldn't be paying as much attention to Bakura as he was at the moment. Besides, Bakura liked Ryou's cheese and herbs omelettes. The insistent little image popped into his mind again. "No onions or garlic though."

* * *

Throughout making dinner, eating the delicious omelettes and clearing up afterwards, Ryou kept a close eye on his yami. It was obvious that Bakura was still very distracted. At one point he almost put sugar on his omelette instead of in his tea. Ryou was so concerned that he didn't insist on Bakura helping with the dishes, as he normally would have. His yami was bad enough with dropping things when he was paying attention, for him to go anywhere near the dishes when he was like this… Ryou shuddered at the thought and shook his head when Bakura started to get up. "No, it's okay. Really. I can manage. Why don't you go and watch some TV or something?"

Bakura smiled slightly at the panicked tone in Ryou's voice as he excused him from doing the dishes. Being distracted apparently had its advantages after all. He glanced at the time and sighed as he headed for the living room. It was barely six o'clock. Still two hours to go… 

Ryou came in from the kitchen to find Bakura sitting on the sofa gazing at the TV screen with a distant look in his eyes. The news was on but Bakura wasn't watching the headlines with his usual interest. Normally he liked to see what kind of chaos or mayhem had happened that day. Ryou was worried, but he was even more worried when Bakura didn't even glance at him when he sat down beside him on the sofa. It was as though Bakura hadn't even noticed that he was no longer alone.

When a story came on about the upcoming Domino City Duel Monster's Tournament, Ryou glanced at Bakura, thinking that it would surely snap him out of whatever he was thinking about. When his yami barely reacted, Ryou shifted closer and kept watching him, now very concerned.

As time crawled by, Bakura became more and more aware of a strange feeling in his stomach. It was an odd fluttering feeling, as though there was a flock of birds inside him. He didn't like it. He frowned as his hand instinctively tried to rub it away. 

Bakura blinked as a hand suddenly rested on his forehead. He looked at the boy sitting beside him in surprise. Ryou had one hand on his own forehead too. "Ryou… what are you doing?" 

"You don't seem to have a temperature. Are you feeling all right? Perhaps you're coming down with something." Ryou eyed his yami anxiously for a moment. "If you're not feeling well then you really shouldn't push yourself. You should be resting."

Bakura turned, putting his hands firmly on his light's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. "Ryou, I'm fine." The boy looked back at him and Bakura guiltily noticed how worried he was. 

"You're rubbing your stomach. Are you feeling sick? Why don't you go lie down and I'll bring you some nice soothing tea." Ryou searched his yami's eyes, slightly relieved by the look of frustration that flashed through them. If his yami was frustrated by his fussing, then he couldn't be too sick.

"I'm not sick. I said I'm fine. I'm just… on edge tonight. That's all." Bakura couldn't tell Ryou the reason for his edginess, but he could at least ease his light's concern a little. 

Ryou studied his yami for a little longer before relaxing slightly. "You do look rather tense." He thought for a moment. "Perhaps a nice warm bath would help? That usually relaxes me." 

Bakura thought about it. That actually wasn't such a bad idea. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. "Yeah. I think I'll do that." 

He didn't waste any time. A few minutes later he had everything ready to go. The moment he slipped into the warm water, Bakura felt his nervous tension drain away. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift as he relaxed.

* * *

Ryou put the finishing touches on his math homework and stretched. "There. All done." His eyes wandered around and he suddenly froze, his gaze locked on the time. "Seven thirty already? Oh my, that took me longer than I thought it would." There was something pushing at the back of his mind. An irritating insistence that he'd forgotten something, although Ryou was sure that he'd done all of his homework. He looked around the room, the feeling growing stronger by the moment. 

His eyes landed on the door to the connecting bathroom and he blinked as the feeling suddenly became a clear thought. Bakura hadn't come out of the bathroom. Concerned, Ryou quickly crossed to the closed door and knocked lightly. "Bakura? Are you all right in there?" When no response came, Ryou hesitated for a heartbeat before he opened the door and peeked inside "Bakura? Are you…? Oh my…" 

Bakura was still in the bath and it had apparently relaxed him more than either of them had thought it would. He was sound asleep! Ryou smiled at the sight, but his smile faded into a look of concern when Bakura shivered slightly. The boy quickly went to kneel by the bath and dipped his hand into the water. The barely-more-than-room-temperature water. "Oh dear…" He gently shook Bakura's shoulder. "Bakura. Bakura, you need to wake up now." Bakura stirred.

The first thing he saw was his light looking worried. Nothing new there. Then Bakura realised that he was naked… and lying in uncomfortably cool water… and his neck ached from how he'd been lying… and he was cold… A few possibilities ran through his mind but only one struck him as being anywhere near likely. "Curse it to the Shadows. I fell asleep, didn't I?" He started to sit up. 

"I'm afraid so." Ryou stood and checked to make sure that there were plenty of towels before heading out of the room. "I'll get you something warm to put on, so you don't get a chill." 

Bakura watched him go, an unfathomable look in his dark eyes. Then a shiver ran through him and he returned his attention to getting out of the bath. 

Despite the warm tracksuit Ryou had found for him, Bakura was still rather cold when he came out of the bathroom. The ache in his neck seemed to be getting worse instead of better, too. But despite all that, the first thing he did was check on the time. He sighed with an odd mix of relief and frustration. There was still about twenty minutes to go. He hadn't slept through it, but he still had to wait for the time to come!

Ryou was packing his books away but he looked up at the sigh, noting with concern how pale his yami looked. Not that Bakura wasn't normally pale… but he was definitely paler than he usually was. He was also wincing slightly. "You look as though you're in pain. Are you still cold?" 

Bakura thought about not answering, for all of half a second. He knew Ryou would just keep asking until he got a reply. "Yeah, a bit. I'm warming up though." As Ryou looked at him expectantly, the silence stretched. Finally Bakura gave in. "My neck's a bit stiff from how I was lying, that's all. It's nothing serious." He shrugged, or rather tried to. It ended in a wince as his neck protested the move.

Ryou winced in sympathy and nodded towards the bed. "I can fix that. Sit down." Bakura gave him a wary look and didn't move. Ryou sighed. "Bakura… I promise I'm not going to hurt you." 

"Huh… as if you could!" Bakura stalked across to the bed, his pride stung. He didn't see the slight smile that flickered across Ryou's face at his predictable response. He sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms, scowling as his light started towards him. Bakura blinked when Ryou walked around the other side of the bed though. "What…?" 

"I have to get behind you." Bakura felt the bed dip and then shift as his light crawled across and settled directly behind him. He was so close that Bakura could feel the warmth that radiated from him. He fought the urge to lean back into that warmth, then tensed as Ryou's hands suddenly touched his shoulders. A few moments later, Bakura groaned softly as Ryou started kneading the pain away. 

As Ryou gently massaged his yami's neck and shoulders, he could feel the tension slipping from his yami. He was surprised by how much tension there had been. Something was definitely disturbing Bakura. As much as he wanted to ask about it though, he was reluctant to speak. It felt as though doing so would break the moment they were sharing, and Ryou really didn't want to do that. 

Bakura sighed softly and allowed his mind to focus on his light's touch rather than the gift that was currently lying on the bed in Bakura's soulroom. Bakura didn't know whether it was the way he did it or just because he was his light, but Ryou's touch had the power to ease his tension and calm his mind like nothing else he had ever encountered. Right now, it was also soothing the pain in his neck, which was something that Bakura was particularly grateful for. 

It was only five minutes or so before the last of the pain faded beneath Ryou's gentle hands. Bakura would have stopped him then, except that he really didn't want to. He also sensed that Ryou didn't want to be stopped. So Bakura remained silent, although he kept one eye on the clock. After a few more minutes though, a thought crept into his mind and refused to leave no matter how much he tried to push it away. He sighed reluctantly. 

"How… did you learn this?" His voice was little more than a whisper, but it seemed overly loud in the otherwise-silent room. 

Ryou was a little surprised at the question. He was about to reply when he paused, a little Horned Imp prodding him towards mischief. "How do you think I learned it?" he asked, just as softly. 

The unexpected response startled Bakura. He hadn't really thought about it. He'd just asked out of idle curiosity. But now that Ryou mentioned it… His mind started filling with images of a faceless figure doing to Ryou what Ryou was doing to him. Bakura frowned. The images didn't stop there and Bakura almost snarled. "I suppose someone did this to you." Suddenly, Ryou's touch didn't seem quite so nice. The thought of someone touching Ryou in the same way… His thoughts came to a halt as he heard Ryou's reply.

"That's right." Ryou felt the sudden tension in Bakura's body and knew he had teased enough. His hands stilled, coming to rest lightly on his yami's shoulders. "My mother." 

Bakura released the breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He frowned slightly. Ryou never said much about his mother, but he knew she had been gone for a long time. "So long ago… how can you remember something like that?" He couldn't even recall his mother's face, although for him it had been far longer since he had seen her. Over five thousand years, in fact. But… if he was honest with himself… he'd forgotten her even before he had become the Spirit of the Ring. 

"Some things… you never forget. She used to do it whenever I had a headache." Ryou lightly squeezed Bakura's shoulders and his yami sighed softly. "I'm sorry for teasing you." 

It was still only ten to eight, but suddenly Bakura knew that didn't matter. Perhaps for Yugi and Yami, eight o'clock would be the right time for the gift, but for him and Ryou… it was time now. Bakura remained where he was. It was easier to speak to Ryou when he didn't have to look in his eyes. Especially for things like this. 

"Ryou… you know how Yami's been spending all his time in his soulroom lately?" 

Ryou blinked, rather surprised by the sudden change in topic, although he was also rather relieved by it. He didn't like talking about his mother much. It always made him sad. "Yes." 

"When I went into his soulroom the other day at school… I found out what he was doing in there. Yami swore me to secrecy. He tricked me so I'd have to keep his secret because…" Bakura stopped and sighed heavily. "No… that's not entirely true… I knew it was a trick. I went along with it because I wanted to."

"I'm not sure I follow." Ryou had known that Bakura was keeping something from him and Yugi. He'd figured out that Yami had told him what was going on and asked him not to tell, but the part about Yami tricking Bakura, only not exactly because Bakura had wanted to be tricked… That was the part that Ryou wasn't at all sure about. 

Bakura took a deep breath. "Yami was working on a surprise for Yugi. That's why he was in his soulroom so much. The idiot hadn't stopped to think about how much Yugi would worry. When I found out what he was up to… I insulted him and… he ended up challenging me to a contest. I could have turned him down. I was going to. Except…" Bakura shifted uneasily. "I wanted to do it." Bakura's voice was so soft, Ryou could barely hear it. 

"Well of course you did. You and Yami always enjoy competing against each other." Ryou didn't see why his yami was so embarrassed about it. 

"No… I don't mean the contest part. I mean… what was involved. Yami was making a gift for Yugi. I…" Bakura stared down at the floor, very glad that Ryou was behind him and unable to see his face. "I wanted to do the same for you." 

"Oh… Bakura…" 

Bakura heard the soft whisper but he couldn't make out the emotion behind it. Ryou had said it too quietly for him to be sure. For a moment he was tempted to turn around. He'd know by the look in Ryou's eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He still had more to say. "So I let Yami 'trick' me into making it a contest. Because I was… too much of a coward to do it otherwise." It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to say. Suddenly Bakura couldn't remain where he was for another moment. Besides, he had to get his gift. 

Ryou was still trying to get over the shock of what he had just been told when his yami suddenly stood up and vanished. "Bakura?" His half-question, half-plea was still echoing faintly in the room when his yami reappeared. Bakura glanced at him. 

"Sorry. I had to get…" He looked down at the paper in his hand and abruptly thrust it out towards Ryou. "Here." When Ryou made no move to take it but merely stared at it, Bakura dropped it onto the bed in front of him. He stood there for a moment more, silently willing Ryou to pick it up… or to look at him. When Ryou did neither, Bakura turned and walked over to stare out of the window. When his light was this shocked, he usually just needed a little time to sort through his feelings. Besides, he needed some time to sort through his own.

Ryou turned. He looked at his yami for a long moment before turning his attention to the piece of paper. He picked it up and began to read. 

**__**

Bakura's Poem

For countless years I waited,   
Trapped within this ring of gold.  
Then you, unknowing, freed me.  
Your mind was mine to hold.

At first I wanted freedom  
For your body's far too weak.  
What use are you to me? I asked.  
You have not the strength I seek. 

I used you without mercy  
As I sought the golden prize.  
But at every turn, you stopped me  
And I began to realise…

Although you're weak in body,  
Your heart and will are strong.  
The more I learned, the more I thought,  
Could I have been wrong?

Then Marik won the battle.  
Your life seemed forever lost.  
As I wandered through the Pharaoh's mind,  
I thought about the cost. 

I didn't think I'd miss you.  
Didn't think I could feel pain.  
Sorrow seemed beyond me.  
But you proved me wrong… again.

Curse it to the Shadows!  
How could I not have seen  
How much you'd come to mean to me?  
Or what a fool I'd been.

If we could be together,  
Through all our nights and days,  
I promised Ra, in silent plea,  
That I would mend my ways.

Now in your mind I wander down  
Your mental corridors,  
As I make the journey  
From my soulroom into yours.

Your room is warm and filled with light  
And as I watch you sleep,  
Contentment fills my shadowed heart.  
My word to Ra… I'll keep.

Bakura stood at the window, staring into the darkness although all he could see was the images running through his mind. He had no idea how Ryou would react to his gift and he couldn't remember ever being so nervous or… yes, he silently admitted to himself, scared… in his life. Or since, for that matter. As Ryou's possible reactions flooded his mind, Bakura was so focused on them that he failed to notice what was happening behind him. He didn't realise that Ryou had moved until a pair of arms suddenly slipped around his waist and a warm body pressed against his. 

"Ryou?" Bakura remained very still, hardly daring to breathe. 

"Bakura… Thank you." The words were whispered in his ear as Ryou leaned his head against his yami's. The boy felt Bakura sag in relief and he smiled as he lightly squeezed his yami's waist. 

Bakura shifted and Ryou eased away, just enough so his yami could get comfortable. Much to his surprise, Bakura turned so he was facing him, his arms going around Ryou's waist so they were loosely holding each other. Bakura's dark eyes searched Ryou's until he found what he was looking for. "You… liked it… You really liked it!" The smile that lit up Bakura's face was like that of a child who had just received an unexpected toy. Ryou smiled at his yami. 

"I loved it, Bakura. Did you really think that I wouldn't?" he gently teased. Bakura looked away.

"I… wasn't sure. I've never… written a poem before, so I didn't know if it was any good." 

Ryou blinked. "You mean… that's your first poem? Ever? Oh… Bakura…" 

Bakura looked at his light in surprise as Ryou stared at him. The look in his eyes… it wasn't an expression that he'd seen all that often and, as with the other times, he wasn't entirely sure why he was seeing it now. Ryou was looking at him as though he'd just done something that had touched his light to the very depths of his heart. "Light? What is it?" 

"Your first poem… and you wrote it as a gift for me." Ryou smiled as his yami suddenly looked very embarrassed.

"Well… the contest…" Bakura looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment in Ryou's eyes. He hated to remind him of it. He wanted Ryou to keep looking at him like that… at least part of him wanted that. The other part of him wanted to bolt into his soulroom and lock the door behind him for another thousand years or so… What was it about his light that made him feel so confused?

"You'll win." Ryou's voice interrupted Bakura's thoughts and he blinked at his light. There was no change to the look in Ryou's eyes. It was as though he didn't care that the contest was the reason for the poem's existence. Looking into his light's eyes, Bakura silently admitted that Ryou was right. It didn't matter. The words had come from within him and they were for his light. That was why he had written the poem. The contest had just been the push he'd needed to write it. 

"It's being judged tomorrow. I'll forfeit. I don't need Kaiba's decision. Your reaction's enough." Bakura's voice was surprisingly soft. For a moment, he sounded just like Ryou. 

Ryou blinked and the look in his eyes finally changed… to confusion. "Did you say… Kaiba? He's judging your and Yami's poems? Oh… my…" Ryou bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

Bakura smirked, suddenly feeling more like himself now that their conversation was back in familiar territory. "Yeah. I thought he'd be better than Téa. She'd just say it was a draw, so no one got their feelings hurt." He pulled a face at the thought. "At least Kaiba will be honest."

Ryou suddenly looked worried. "I hope that's all he is…" he muttered softly. Bakura looked at him curiously and he smiled weakly. "You know what Kaiba's like. Any excuse will do to insult you and Yami." As Bakura went pale, Ryou suddenly hugged him lightly. "But Bakura, I swear, if Seto Kaiba dares to say one bad thing about your poem… I will make sure that he regrets it."

A shiver ran down Bakura's spine at his light's serious tone. He suddenly had absolutely no doubt that Ryou would do exactly as he promised. He looked at his light for a long moment, thoughts and emotions whirling within him. Slowly he drew Ryou closer. Ryou smiled slightly and did not resist.

"So… how much did you say you liked my poem?"

To be continued…


	5. The Judging

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: **Bold** text is for emphasis.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: Well, here it is, the final chapter! I hope that everyone's enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it! As always, reviews will make me bounce happily for a good hour or two ^_^

DEDICATION: This is for my best friend Cheryl, for her constant friendship and for the inspiration she gives me. Also for her ability to make me both burst into laughter and scramble for pen and paper when I ask her a perfectly serious question like 'If you were Seto Kaiba, which of these poems would you choose to win a poetry contest?' ^_^

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A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 5: The Judging  
By Shadow's Mirror

"Bakura. He is here." 

The soft voice caught Bakura's attention immediately. He turned towards the entrance of the Domino City Library's research area and tensed. Through the open doorway, he and Yami had a good view of the library's front door and the tall young man who had just entered the building. 

"Well it's about time. We've been here for over half an hour already," Bakura grumbled.

Yami smiled slightly. "That is our fault for arriving early. Kaiba is right on time, as usual." 

He raised one hand and Kaiba nodded in brief acknowledgment before turning his attention to his younger brother, Mokuba, who was walking beside him. The two exchanged a few words then Mokuba headed off towards the mystery section while Kaiba started towards the two waiting yamis, a very irritated look on his face. 

"All right. I'm here. Let's get this torture over with." Kaiba scowled at Yami. "I still can't believe I let you talk me into doing this." 

Yami smirked. "And I can't believe that you actually agreed." 

Kaiba growled. "You have five seconds to get to it or I'm leaving." 

"Very well then. As I told you on Sunday night, Bakura and I are having a poetry contest and we require a judge," Yami began. 

"That's where you come in," Bakura added helpfully, earning both a glare from Kaiba and an irritated look from Yami for the interruption.

"I know all that. Just give me the blasted things so I can read them!" Kaiba held out his hand, as his other hand tapped impatiently on the nearby table. With identical sighs, the two yamis handed over the poems that they had written for each of their lights. Kaiba grimaced with distaste as he accepted them and sat down to read.

The two yamis traded a look before moving around to the other side of the table and sitting down too. They waited in tense silence for Kaiba to reach his decision regarding the winner. As he winced and muttered under his breath through first one poem and then the other, Yami and Bakura traded another glance, both wondering if this had been such a good idea after all. By the time Kaiba finally put down both pieces of paper and raised his head to eye them across the table, both yamis were extremely nervous.

Kaiba took a deep breath as he studied the two would-be poets sitting opposite him. He mentally prepared his statements for each of them and then decided whom to start with.

"Yami. I have never read such a load of sugar-coated rubbish in my entire life and I sincerely hope that I never have to do so again." As his rival's eyes widened in shock, Kaiba felt the familiar thrill that he got during a duel whenever he brought out a powerful creature and used it to take out one of his opponent's monsters. Maybe this judging thing wasn't so bad after all. 

"Not only were each of these individual items of ridicule all poorly thought out, but they followed the correct format for that kind of poem so loosely that they could barely be considered to be that kind of poem at all! Overall, they seemed to be more a collection of random thoughts set out in sets of three lines than a cohesive poem. There was certainly none of the imagery associated with true haiku. This isn't a poem. It's a lesson in how not to write a haiku! As for the subject matter…" Kaiba shuddered with disgust. "You spend almost all of the poem saying things that everyone who knows about your existence already knows, then you end it with something so sickeningly obvious that I can't believe you and Yugi haven't already worked it out. Are you two honestly that dense? To think this was written by the same duelist who defeated me in Battle City! That's enough to make me ill even without the nauseating thoughts those last three lines bring to mind." He shuddered again, grimacing at the mental images.

As Yami blinked in shock and embarrassment, Bakura couldn't keep from smirking. He'd never seen Yami so lost for words. He would have paid good money to get a tape recording of Kaiba's monologue. Perhaps Kaiba would tape it for him if he offered to play it whenever it would really embarrass Yami? The thought got to him and he couldn't help snickering out loud.

Kaiba turned to glare at Bakura. "As for you…" Bakura froze, his eyes almost as wide as his light's. Yami blinked and came out of his daze. He had a sudden feeling that he didn't want to miss what was about to happen. 

"Me? What about me? Did I win?" Bakura relaxed and started to smirk again.

"Win? Do you honestly think I'd allow such a saccharine piece of fluff to earn you any sort of prize? That was the most disgusting, the most distasteful, the most revolting, the most abhorrent misuse of language it has ever been my misfortune to read! What was that supposed to be? A child's bedtime rhyme or a blatant attempt to get into your light's…" Kaiba bit off what he was about to say, grimacing as if the very thought of such a thing made him feel physically ill. 

"There was no artistry, no imagery, in the words. A five year old could have done a better job of describing his feelings. You were vague, you were bland, and you were boring! For such a long poem it said absolutely nothing that was worth wading through all that emotional tripe to learn! What was the point in writing all of that just to say something that everyone already knows? As for the ending… the sooner I can rid my mind of that repulsive image the happier I'll be! What were you thinking, Bakura? If you're going to start with all that sugary hearts and flowers nonsense, I think I preferred it when you were evil! We get enough of that foolishness from Téa!" 

Kaiba paused to take a breath, giving him time to study the immensely satisfying effect that his words were having on Bakura. He looked liked he'd gone into a state of deep shock. Kaiba stood up and glared at the two wide-eyed yamis. He sneered at them. 

"How you thought I'd ever be willing to choose one of these repugnant pieces of idiocy to win any sort of prize is beyond my comprehension. They are both equally as devoid of any right to be called 'poetry', and as such should be removed from the world as soon as possible to avoid anyone being tormented by them further! Personally, I'd recommend burning them. Now, we're through here, so I'll be off before I get any more nauseous than I already am." 

He strode to the doorway and then paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Oh, and the next time you want someone to judge something so contemptibly ridiculous, I'd suggest you ask Téa. She lives for that sort of thing." With a swirl of his jacket, he was gone, leaving behind two very stunned yamis. 

* * *

Yami and Bakura sat in silence for several minutes after Kaiba left. Eventually, Yami leaned forward and picked up the two pieces of paper. He returned Bakura's poem to him and looked down at his own for a long moment. 

"I didn't think my poem was that bad."

Bakura blinked and looked down at his poem, still rather dazed. "Me neither." 

Yami silently held out his poem to Bakura. After a moment's hesitation, Bakura swapped his poem for Yami's. They silently read each other's poem for the first time. When they finished, they swapped back and sat in thoughtful silence for a little while before Yami spoke up. 

"I thought your poem was rather good. At least it rhymed. It was longer than mine too." 

"Thanks. Yours was good too. It was more… personal… than mine." Bakura frowned at that.

They turned their heads and traded a long look. Yami smiled slightly. "Yugi liked my poem." 

Bakura smirked back at him, suddenly feeling more relaxed. "Ryou **really** liked mine." Yami arched an eyebrow and chuckled before suddenly looking thoughtful. 

"I feel compelled to remind you that asking Kaiba to judge this was your idea," he pointed out. 

Bakura winced at the reminder. "Yeah. But you were the one who agreed to it."

Yami nodded. "Point taken." He hesitated. "Yugi has Téa's phone number. Should we see if she's busy at the moment?" 

"Nah. Let's just leave it as a draw. Our lights will be happy with that." Bakura looked thoughtful. "How about we tell them what the prize was going to be and all four of us put it together?" He smirked. "It seems a shame for our lights to miss out on a picnic just because Kaiba couldn't choose which of our poems he hated more." 

Yami chuckled at that and nodded. "Good idea, Bakura. We'll do that. I'm sure that Yugi and Ryou will be happy." 

Bakura smirked. "About the picnic, yes. As for what Kaiba said about our poems…" He cautiously opened his mind-link to Ryou a fraction, then quickly closed it again. "Judging by Ryou's current mood, I think we'd better warn the others to keep our lights and Kaiba separated for a week or two." He winced. " Otherwise things could get… messy." 

Yami checked on Yugi's emotional state and winced as well. "Very good point. We may need to make sure that all sharp objects are kept out of their reach as well." 

Bakura nodded in agreement, then sighed. "Well, I suppose we might as well go. There's no point in hanging around here anymore."

"True." Yami stood and stretched then carefully tucked his poem away in Yugi's schoolbag. He hoisted it over his shoulder and waited while Bakura did the same with his poem and Ryou's bag. They started for the front door of the library. 

They were halfway there when Bakura suddenly stopped in his tracks. Yami looked back at him and then followed the direction of his gaze. He winced. Kaiba and Mokuba were heading for the front door as well. If Mokuba saw them… Sure enough, the boy spotted them and smiled. He was about to wave when Kaiba said something to him. As Mokuba frowned in confusion, Yami became aware of Bakura moving again. He hurried to catch up. "Bakura… what are you doing?" 

Bakura didn't answer. He strode up to the Kaiba brothers and grinned down at Mokuba. "Hey kid. I just need a quick word with your brother." 

Mokuba eyed Bakura uneasily, then looked over at Yami who tried to look as though he knew what was going on. Finally the boy nodded and moved a short distance away. 

Kaiba glared at the two yamis. "I've said all that I have to say already. Any more discussion would be pointless." He started to turn away but Bakura caught his arm and leaned in, speaking softly in his ear. He spoke so quietly that Yami and Mokuba couldn't hear a word he was saying. Judging by Kaiba's reaction though, he had heard it clearly. 

Kaiba jerked away from Bakura and gave him a rather stunned look as he went very pale. "That… was far more than I needed to know…" he muttered before looking over at his confused brother. "Come on Mokuba, we're going." 

"You're just jealous." Bakura spoke the words softly, but with a great deal of his usual smugness. Kaiba glared at him. 

"Jealous? Of that? Not likely!" He was still very pale, although he gave Bakura a scornful look that was only slightly uneasier than his usual version. 

Bakura smirked. "I meant in general. I thought it was funny how you kept bringing Téa's name into the conversation." 

Kaiba snarled but didn't respond. In fact, he suddenly looked rather uncomfortable, although that didn't stop him from glaring at Bakura before he stalked off with his extremely confused brother in tow. 

Yami blinked and eyed Bakura warily. "What in the Shadows did you say to him?" 

There was a hint of Bakura's old evil self in his chuckle. "Oh, I just told him **exactly** how much Ryou liked my poem last night. That's all." 

Yami burst out laughing. "Bakura! How do you think Ryou will react when he finds out?" 

Bakura smirked and started walking towards the door, replying over his shoulder.

"Who do you think suggested that I tell him in the first place?" 

The End


	6. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had finished the story... really... Then this poem just popped into my head and I couldn't resist adding one last chapter ;^_^

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A Gift from Darkness to Light  
Chapter 6: Epilogue  
By Shadow's Mirror

Seto Kaiba stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. In a blind rage, he stalked from one side of the room to another and back again. He was furious. 

"How dare they! Just when I thought I had them beaten, he goes and says…" Kaiba stopped in his tracks as a shiver ran through his body at the memory of the tombrobber's words, and the image they had painted for him. "I don't know which is more sickening, that Ryou would actually do something like that or that Bakura apparently enjoyed it!" He shivered again, which only served to make him angrier. 

"Either way, he only told me about it to get even with me. It was his petty vengeance for what I said about his and Yami's pathetic excuses for poetry. As if I care what he and Ryou do with each other! It's not like I ever dreamed of anyone tying me to the bed with silk scarves and tickling me with a feather duster from head to toe…" Kaiba sighed heavily before he could help himself. He quickly recovered from his momentary lapse and snarled, "How dare he say such a thing to me!" 

Kaiba's eyes fell on a sheet of paper lying on the bedside table and he snatched it up with a low growl. "Poetry! I've had enough of it! If I never see another poem again it will be too soon!" He clenched his fist, crumpling the page into a ball, then turned and threw it across the room as hard as he could. The ball of paper hit the wall and bounced off, rolling to a stop just in front of the door. 

As Kaiba strode out of the room, his flash of temper eased by his actions, he took great care to step on the discarded page.

* * *

A minute later, Kaiba opened the door to his room again. He paused in the doorway, looking down at the crumpled ball of paper for a long moment, his face an expressionless mask. He remained silent as he walked into the room, picked the page up and carried it back to his bedside table. With a soft sigh, Kaiba took a moment to smooth out the creases as best he could before he put it back in place. He stared at it for a moment before snorting in self-disgust at his weakness. Just because he was angry with Bakura and Yami, he shouldn't have lost control as he had. He'd almost destroyed something that he liked. 

Kaiba headed for the doorway again. "Those pitiful fools and their pathetic attempts at poetry… Mine is better than theirs any day! Still… I suppose I do have them to thank for my writing it. After all, it was their stupid contest that inspired me." He darted a glance back at the piece of paper sitting once again on his bedside table before leaving the room. 

* * *

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Seto's Poem

Oh, how abhorrent  
Asked to judge their poetry.  
The fools. They shall pay.

They think I'll be fair  
But I shall show my scorn with   
Taunts and ridicule.

When it is over  
They will cower before me.  
I will enjoy this. 

The End   
(and this time, I mean it ^_^)


End file.
